Has Anti-Intellectualism Taken Root in the Teaching Profession? A Veteran Teacher's Perspective

by Shinair K Francis

As a veteran of almost two decades, a master teacher in America's most diverse and extensive school system, and the owner of Educator Empowerment Center, LLC, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges teachers face daily. Teaching is undeniably a difficult profession. The demands are high, the pay is often low, and the burnout rate is troubling. Data shows that teachers are leaving the profession in alarming numbers. According to the National Education Association, around 55% of educators considered leaving the profession earlier this year due to burnout, with pay remaining a significant issue. The average teacher salary in the U.S. hovers around $65,090, but many educators, especially those in rural or underfunded districts, earn far less. The emotional toll of the job, combined with long hours, the lack of support, and unrealistic expectations, has led to a perfect storm where nearly one-third of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years.

However, as I reflect on the profession I’ve been so deeply entrenched in, I can’t help but wonder: has the teaching profession produced an anti-intellectual culture? 

 What is Anti-Intellectualism? 

Anti-intellectual is a term that describes situations and actions that diminish or express skepticism of intellectuals, thinking, and learning. In the context of teaching, this can be seen as being resistant to professional development, avoiding new ideas or methodologies, and discrediting research or theory in education. This is the typical attitude that happens when such attitudes dominate a profession; the profession loses its intellectual substance and turns into a profession of mere survival where growth and development are no longer the key focus of the profession but instead are replaced by the bare minimum of coping. 

 A Quick Look at Teacher Spaces 

A brief scroll through social media platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, or even teacher-specific Facebook groups reveals an unsettling trend: teacher-centered spaces have become places where making fun of professional development, voicing disdain for learning new things, and openly discussing a lack of self-reflection are commonplace.

In these spaces, it's not unusual to find teachers mocking professional development sessions, posting videos about how they "tune out" during training, or bragging about how they "just do the bare minimum" to meet requirements. The tone is often one of frustration or resignation, but the underlying message is clear: learning and professional growth are, at best, an inconvenience and, at worst, a joke. For instance, several TikTok videos show teachers sitting through mandated professional development sessions with sarcastic captions, like “Learning nothing new today, as usual” or “Just here for the certificate.”

While it's understandable that mandatory professional development can sometimes feel out of touch or disconnected from the daily realities of the classroom, this behavior raises an important question: what happens to the intellectual integrity of our profession when learning, growth, and self-reflection are consistently devalued?

The Dangers of Rejecting Professional Growth

Teachers are responsible for helping learners develop interest, understanding, skills, attitudes toward learning and the ability to meet today's and tomorrow's challenges. However, when we fail to learn ourselves—when we ridicule or opt out of opportunities to enhance our practice—we erode the values we are to promote. 

However, such a message can be very destructive for newcomers to the teaching profession. If they see other teachers, especially those with years of experience, rejecting professional development, mocking educational research, or considering intellectual growth as an interference, they may follow the same path. This makes the profession cyclic in that anti-intellectualism becomes part of the profession's DNA. 

At Educator Empowerment Center, LLC, we take a stand against the culture of anti-intellectualism. 

It is crucial to avoid the temptation to regard intellectual growth as unnecessary. Teaching is a challenging job and one of the professions in which one needs to learn throughout their career. The world is dynamic, and so are the students; hence, there is a need to transform the methods used in teaching. In this case, we, as teachers, must embrace learning processes and accept that sometimes the way forward could be more convenient. 

Specifically, anti-intellectualism should not be a position that new teachers in the teaching profession should embrace. The longevity of your career is always defined by your ability to progress or advance. As much as we are knowledgeable and experienced teachers, let me remind you that there is still so much we do not know, which is fine. Year in and year out, new issues arise with each student and class that call for new learning. 

 The Importance of Self-Reflection 

 Teaching as a profession is not stagnant. It is not only active but reactive, not only constant but variable, and not only challenging to one’s mind but also to one’s spirit. Meaning that we need to create an environment that supports reflection and growth in the workplace. Teachers should be engaging in regular reflection about their practice, asking questions like: What worked? What didn’t? How can I improve? Without this reflection, educators can go around in circles, continuing with the same practices year in and year out without evaluating whether their practices are still efficient. 

 I understand that some readers may find this article offensive or frustrating. After all, teaching is already a tough job, and it may seem unfair to criticize teachers who are simply trying to survive. My intention is not to belittle or shame but to challenge us all to think critically about the culture we create in our profession. We must remember that, as educators, we hold tremendous power to shape our students' lives and our profession's future. By embracing intellectualism, reflection, and growth, we can ensure that we prepare the next generation of learners—and educators—who will lead with curiosity, empathy, and knowledge.

Let’s rise to the challenge.